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failure-chain-tracing

Testing & Quality
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Tactic: Trace upstream causes and downstream effects of each failure mode. Builds multi-level cause-mode-effect chains for systemic understanding.

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Source SKILL.md: https://github.com/yogsoth-ai/de-anthropocentric-research-engine/blob/HEAD/skills/failure-chain-tracing/SKILL.md

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Failure Chain Tracing Tactic

Trace each failure mode both upstream (root causes) and downstream (cascading effects) to build complete causal chains.

Orchestration

  1. Start from identified failure mode
  2. failure-chain-construction traces upstream:
    • Why could this mode occur? (immediate cause)
    • Why could that cause occur? (root cause)
    • Repeat to budget depth (2/4/6 levels)
  3. failure-chain-construction traces downstream:
    • What effect does this mode produce? (local effect)
    • What does that effect cause? (system-level effect)
    • What is the end impact? (customer/stakeholder effect)
  4. Chain validated for logical consistency
  5. Shared causes across multiple modes flagged as systemic risks

Depth Control

  • Budget S: 2 levels (immediate cause → mode → local effect)
  • Budget M: 4 levels (root cause → ... → system effect)
  • Budget L: 6 levels (full chain with environmental factors)

Subagents Dispatched

  • failure-chain-construction (upstream and downstream tracing)
  • severity-scoring (end-effect severity assessment)

Termination Conditions

  • Chain depth exhausted per budget
  • Root cause reached (no further upstream cause identifiable)
  • End effect reached (stakeholder-level impact identified)
  • Circular dependency detected (flag and stop)

Available SOPs

Optional, no fixed order; the final leaf is always a sop.

SOPWhen to use
failure-chain-constructionBuild cause-mode-effect chains tracing upstream root causes and downstream cascading effects for each failure mode.
severity-scoringRate failure mode severity 1-10 based on end-effect impact. Follows AIAG-VDA severity scale calibrated for research artifacts.